Mack Brown announces Drake Maye as UNC starting quarterback

Drake Maye and Jacolby Criswell have been battling for UNC’s starting quarterback job all offseason long, and now a decision has been made.

In a press conference on Monday morning, UNC head coach Mack Brown revealed that Maye will be under center for UNC’s opening drive of the season. Brown went on to say that both Maye and Criswell could see time at quarterback for UNC, and that the player who is moving the ball better will be on the field. But when the Tar Heels host Florida A&M on Saturday night during Week 0, Maye will get the first chance to lead the offense.

The competition was a tight one throughout the offseason as the Tar Heels look to adjust to life without Sam Howell under center.

Maye completed seven of his ten pass attempts last season, throwing for 89 yards and a touchdown as a true freshman. He also rushed six times for 62 yards. Criswell has completed 16 of his 25 passes over the past two years for 195 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

Maye feels more comfortable in UNC’s offense entering his second year

Maye first arrived on campus in Chapel Hill as part of the 2021 recruiting class. He was rated as a four-star player, the No. 8 quarterback and the No. 3 player out of the state of North Carolina in the 2021 cycle, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

After limited playing time as a true freshman last season, Maye is far more comfortable within the offense. Now, as he takes over as UNC’s starting quarterback, Maye is ready to take another leap during the season.

“Obviously getting with the offense, just repping it for a year, it’s a lot different,” said Maye earlier in the offseason. “Walking in kind of like a deer in the headlights, being thrown into spring practice. But the game starts to slow down for you a little bit. And then we’re doing a lot of going back to the basics. So we’re just going back to the basics, drawing things up. Just seeing it, it’s a lot more clear. Things start to slow down.

“So I just feel like I’m processing things better. They say in high school the game’s so much faster when you get to college. It’s like that at the start, but you get a year and obviously I’ve been in some of those big-time games. But obviously in practice, starting to come quicker and come easier. So that’s probably the main thing.”